Why is Honda Brio not selling in big numbers?

This is a discussion on Why is Honda Brio not selling in big numbers? within The Indian Car Scene, part of the BHP India category; Originally Posted by Rocketscience
infact what amaze does is it gets the brio rid of its small size and has ...

infact what amaze does is it gets the brio rid of its small size and has a better looking rear , the mechanicals are identical and its more or less the same car with the boot, these two reasons seem the most logical to me.

I happen to have the exactly opposite opinion and it just goes to show how much of a polarizing car the Brio is. IMHO Brio is the cutest hatchback in India, especially from the back. It amazes me how they managed to make the Amaze amazingly bland and boring.

Good to see that we Indian's are not just going behind brands and choose the best out of each brands. Brio should definitely be a learning lesson for Honda. An entry level size car should deserve its price. Just because it's Honda we can't keep on paying premium. And IMHO it looks more feminine - read as cute looking. Even then the price plays a role here.

As far as grand i10 vs Brio is concerned its a no brainer , the hyundai looks much better , the interiors are way better desgined and put together , the handling is pretty neutral and above hyundai's standards , and kappa 2 engine performs more or less the same as 1.2 i-VTEC

Hi Rocketscience,

Grandi10 looks cosmetically good and Brio wins on the technically sound part. The gear shifts(all my comments are restricted to AT comparision only) are butter smooth and you would not notice the lag in a Brio. Also, the mileage is way better at ~12kmpl. The driving pleasure of Brio is better than any in the competition!

I went through a very tight comparision when I picked up a Brio AT for my wife and hence these notes/observations!

Grandi10 looks cosmetically good and Brio wins on the technically sound part. The gear shifts(all my comments are restricted to AT comparision only) are butter smooth and you would not notice the lag in a Brio. Also, the mileage is way better at ~12kmpl. The driving pleasure of Brio is better than any in the competition!

I went through a very tight comparision when I picked up a Brio AT for my wife and hence these notes/observations!

Hey , Actually i went through the same when i helped picked my cousin a hatchback last month , she was initially inclined towards brio for its cute back (which i hated) , but then just a trip to hyundai's showroom was enough to change her mind , it was a much better package overall , the engines i feel are both more or less at par , and mileage varies from person to person , the brio might as well be more fuel efficient , but my friend generally report their cars returing 11-12 for different cars running on k-12 , i-VTEC 1.2 and KAPPA 2 , even my i20 managed to return about 12 when my dad drove it and almost 9 when i did . I actually found both the cars to be somewhat equal in the handling department too , and the diifference in their overall driving pleasure was not as much as in VENTO VS CITY D , where the former has a much faster and enthusitic engine and noticiebly better handling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwin489

I happen to have the exactly opposite opinion and it just goes to show how much of a polarizing car the Brio is. IMHO Brio is the cutest hatchback in India, especially from the back. It amazes me how they managed to make the Amaze amazingly bland and boring.

Dont get me wrong , im not a fan of how either of them look , but was just analysing as to why Amaze worked and brio did'nt , what must have gone in people's mind when choosing Amaze , and i thought the most logical part here is it gets rid of the tiny part and has a better looking rear (subjective like i said) , i would'nt have chosen either one of them , but Amaze looks slightly better to me from the rear end.
I would also like to add that i was really excited to get my hands on the brio when it was launched and it looked pretty good in the photos , i even managed to see one in flesh before its launch (went to get my civic serviced and the honda dealership had just received a brio,which they were to display the next week) , the front and the sides looked not bad at first , the rear was what killed it for me , as of today Grand i10 looks better to me overall , and is the definitive 5 lakh petrol hatchback (just my opinion).

I found the Brio to be an amazing product and in AT, it is actually unmatched in that price segment for the fun-to-drive factor it offers. If I were in the market for a fun-to-drive petrol hatch below the big boys (Polo / Punto / i20 / Swift), this would be my obvious choice. However, on why the car isn't selling in big numbers, I can give an account of a non-petrolhead colleagus whom I accompanied to help make a choice on his purchase of a petrol hatchback.

He was strongly of the opinion that he could live with the quirky, cute looks and the glass hatch, but could not digest the fact that the top-end of the Brio costed just a little shy of the big boy (read as larger) hatches. So if he really wanted to go for the VX variant, he could just stretch a little more (~50-60k) and get into the Swift ZXi / Polo Highline / Punto Emotion / i20 Asta territory. Those are larger, offer more presence, space, features and better looking interiors and that's how he saw it. Needless to add, he ended up with a bigger hatch, i20 in his case.

I couldn't disagree with his point of view, but then that's maybe how many of the non-enthusiast buyers think. People who are looking for diesels dismiss it anyway. Some people who are not averse to petrols give the Brio a look, and dismiss it because a more desirable product (read as bigger hatches) exists so closely priced that the buyers end up upping their budget and segment choice. Those with a fixed budget may find a similar small hatch from another brand offering the same, maybe even better features and ownership experience at a lower price.

In my opinion, I would say pricing did play an important role in why the Brio hasn't been garnering huge numbers. Most of the aam aadmi buyers may not want to pay extra for a tiny hatch just for the Honda brand name. For every price tag, physical size probably does matter .

After checking the specifications I found that the Honda Brio boot capacity is 175 litres, the Swift is a little above 200 litres and Grand i10 is 253 litres, which is about 45% more than Brio, and that cannot be called on par with Grand, not even close.

My bad. Did not have the right information and neither did i attempt to verify it. Had compared them when i bought the brio, may be i am trying to ignore the fact that the boot is much smaller in my car.

Is it only me who feels that if there is a consumer like me who wants safety in his car (minimum 2 Airbags and ABS) and also wants to buy an AT hatchback, Honda Brio is the sole option (Under 8 Lakh or so).
I am doing lot of research since past 2 months and have checked the details of cars and found this..

A-Star -> No new cars available now I guess, Also no airbags, only ABS.
Grand i10 -> No ABS/Airbags in AT variants (Sportz or Asta)
Brio AT -> Has both Airbags and ABS
Micra CVT -> Good contender but around 40K-50K price over Brio. But for some reasons I do not see much CVT Micras.
Celerio AMT -> No safety features in the AMT and waiting periods are ridiculous. I would consider myself lucky if I ever saw any Celerio (AMT or MT) on road.
Ritz AT -> No Airbags

With all the factors stated in this thread its not alone the product short comings, but the market is also responsible - the market trend is shifting from B+ segment to C and Mini SUVs. Even in B+ segment, there are some strong players, who got better features and performance than Brio like – Swift, Grand i10 etc. Moreover Brio is perceived as a B segment hatch with B+ pricing. Hence, the customer perceived value (CPV) for Brio is less than competitor products.

In my opinion, the Brio’s market positioning is not very appealing in Indian conditions. It seems Brio is positioned as an “Urban / Semi urban commuter” targeting at middle-class bachelors/ nuclear families. Thereby the buying decision should ideally be taken by individuals or by smaller groups. This may work with societies / countries, where the prime user / driver is the decision maker, but in India, even for urban dwellers the decision making may be a complex process (especially for first time buyers), where the needs, whims and fancies of various family members (especially elders) will influence.

From a layman point, following gaps in the market requirements and the product constitutes the mediocre sales for Brio. For all the lost cases, it’s not a single factor or all the factors, but a combination of following - at various proportions worked out:

Dash & cockpit

Provided: An average dash, never be trendy or inspiring. Instrument panel is OK.

Requirement: A good looking dash with better plastics in par with the competitor offerings, really improves the feel good factor of the prospect. A contemporary easy to use dashboard can be a great influence in buyer decision.

Fuel efficiency

Provided: Through it is in par with segment average (approx. 11-12kmpl), Brio got nothing exceptional in terms of fuel efficiency; even-though the engine is from the best engine manufacturer in the world.

Requirement: Most city commuters are daily users, who burn their money in a bumper to bumper traffic – a fuel efficient engine means a lot for them and can really be the game changer.

Boot Space

Provided: Even the boot may be OK for a weekend shopping, its quiet impractical to accommodate luggage (for a family). There is an increasing trend for urban population for vacations and occasional outstation trips.

Requirement: Have to redesign the boot which can hold luggage.

Cabin Space & Comfort :

Provided: Front seat spacing is good, but rear spacing is not enough. Though ignored, this is an important factor, in order to accommodate all the members in the family (with kith & kin) for occasional commutations. Also seats should be more supportive.

Requirement: Have to really work on cabin space management and comfort.

Privacy & Safety

Provided: Though it may be a myth, a glass hatch is perceived as it is vulnerable to privacy (especially when sun control films are banned) and safety.

Requirement: A metal frame along with glass may change significant changes in perception.

Lower total cost of ownership

Provided: Apart from product cost, now days, customers evaluate the operational and maintenance expenses. Honda, perceived as a premium player in India, many prospects (especially in this segment) are suspicious over the operational and maintenance costs.

For me the main factor which would keep me away is the pathetic boot space.
Add to that, the poor rear leg room, and it becomes a no-brainer not to go for this car ( unless if you buy it as your second car )

I feel Brio is the only hatchback with 2 Airbags + ABS in its AT version. I see no other manufacturer offering this (in sub 8L OTR price). Another is Nissan Micra CVT but for some reason that too doesn't really seem to be selling in big numbers. Otherwise that has all bells and whistles in its CVT version.
Btw when is the Facelift Brio going to be launched, anyone knows ?
I hope they do something to the interiors as well but I have little hopes on that.

I feel Brio is the only hatchback with 2 Airbags + ABS in its AT version. I see no other manufacturer offering this (in sub 8L OTR price). Another is Nissan Micra CVT but for some reason that too doesn't really seem to be selling in big numbers.
Btw when is the Facelift Brio going to be launched, anyone knows ?

CVT with a diesel heart will be a killer proposition which I fail to understand why manufacturers are not tapping?! Micra is a good car albeit the shape that could be the deal breaker for some.

Facelift to Brio, can be expected in another year or so. Currently Honda seems to be focusing more on the Mobilio.

I guess Honda may be on some sort of 2-3 year plan which they are implementing in phases. Phase one could be finding out if the market will be receptive Of a fun to drive petrol hatch but with heavy cost cutting measures. Along with that finding out if market will accept a similarly equipped car but with a diesel power plant and a boot which Indians love More than they should. I believe their next step is the mobilo which is again similarly equipped but with more people carrying capacity.
They may introduce a facelifted brio till they bring an improvised dash design across all 3 models.
If they play their cards right they may be able to capture the high volume markets of Suzuki n Hyundai. Honda already has a premium image so selling 20lakh cars won't be a problem as it was for Suzuki n Hyundai. Should things work in their favour,they could increase their market share by a substantial amount in the next 5 years.

For me the main factor which would keep me away is the pathetic boot space.
Add to that, the poor rear leg room, and it becomes a no-brainer not to go for this car ( unless if you buy it as your second car )

I am quiet surprised by your statement that says "poor rear leg room" for a car that costs 60k approximately less than swift and has equivalent rear leg room. Please see this video for reference:

The main factors contribution to lesser sales is
(1) Looks - love me or hate me (this doesn't work in India. Eg: Ritz)
(2) Did not position the car properly
(3) Not enough ads to encourage sales and literate people about the car who are in illusion that this car is very small and would perform like alto or behave like alto

Things people are not aware about Brio :

Brio is the best handling hatch

Brio has power as Swift (Actually more Brio has 88PS@6000RPM Swift has 87, Power weight ratio is 94.57 for Brio and 89.58 for Swift

Brio looks small from outside but when you jump in you will feel in space, I really wonder how they got this hell lot of space with in